Chinese language cities brace for wave of Foxconn employees from COVID-hit Zhengzhou

Cities in central China swiftly drew up plans to isolate migrant employees fleeing to their hometowns from an enormous meeting facility of iPhone maker Foxconn in COVID-hit Zhengzhou metropolis, fearing the returnees could set off coronavirus outbreaks.

Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, reported 167 domestically transmitted COVID-19 instances within the seven days to Oct. 29, up from 97 infections within the prior seven-day interval. Taiwan-based Foxconn, which has about 300,000 employees in Zhengzhou, has not disclosed the variety of contaminated employees.

Beneath China’s ultra-strict zero-COVID insurance policies, localities are mandated to behave swiftly to quell any outbreaks, with measures that would embody full-scale lockdowns. On Oct. 19, Foxconn banned all dining-in at canteens and required employees to take their meals of their dormitories, however assured that manufacturing was regular.

Pictures and movies circulating broadly on Chinese language social media since Saturday confirmed Foxconn employees trekking throughout fields within the day and alongside roads at night time. Reuters couldn’t instantly confirm the authenticity of the posts.

In an obvious present of assist, residents within the neighborhood left bottled water and provisions subsequent to main roads with indicators equivalent to: “For Foxconn employees returning dwelling”, based on social media posts.

A Foxconn official had no rapid remark in response to Reuters queries.

“They have been Foxconn staff who escaped from the manufacturing unit and have been strolling dwelling,” wrote a consumer of WeChat in a put up in regards to the social media photos.

“Some individuals have been strolling amid wheat fields with their baggage, blankets and quilts. I could not assist however really feel unhappy.”

Late on Saturday, cities close to Zhengzhou together with Yuzhou, Changge and Qinyang, in addition to the Weiqu district and Xihua county within the metropolis of Xuzhou, urged Foxconn employees to report back to native authorities upfront about plans to return dwelling.

Returning employees are to journey “point-to-point” in pre-arranged automobiles en route, and are to be quarantined on arrival, they mentioned in separate letters on their respective social media accounts addressed to Zhengzhou Foxconn employees.

Xihua county mentioned it was organising a particular automobile from Sunday to deliver again straight from the Foxconn plant employees who have been initially from the county, assuring them that they’d not be turned away however that counter-epidemic measures wanted to be noticed.